Tempe eatery’s opening proves to be worth wait

The perception that Tempe’s Mill Avenue district was declining didn’t discourage Kathy and Thom Coker from starting a restaurant there with their two daughters and son-in-law. “We saw Mill Avenue as a great place to be. Things were turning around,” Kathy Coker said.

They are Arizona State University alums, and so are their daughters. They live in Tempe.

So when Kathy and Thom Coker opened their breakfast and lunch hotspot NCounter on Mill Avenue in 2011, it seemed like an inevitable move.

But the savvy business owners of the venerable T.C. Eggington’s, their original Mesa breakfast and lunch restaurant, whichopened in 1985, aren’t the types to rush into anything.

While the success of T.C. Eggington’s, coupled with countless requests over the years for them to open another eatery might have quickly convinced others to take the plunge, the Cokers weren’t willing to be as impetuous. After the decision was made, two years of planning preceded opening day.

“It only took us 25 years to even consider doing another restaurant,” Kathy Coker said, as she chuckled. “We are all ASU grads, we live in Tempe … it just seemed to fit.”

The Cokers own and run NCounter with daughters Kyndal Coker and Ashlee Manuel and son-in-law Tysen Manuel.

It’s no accident that the family has maintained a thriving breakfast haunt in an area where previous attempts quickly failed. The experience gained from T.C. Eggington’s, their popular tried-and-true recipes and chefs who know how to prepare those dishes and teach cooks how to create them were powerful factors, Kathy Coker said.

“With our recipes, you can’t just have any person cooking it. It’s not just flipping a burger. You have to be trained,” she said. “Our two chefs have been with us for more than 25 years. Having that experience and consistency helps.”

Currently, NCounter serves about 1,800 patrons each week, with business split equally between breakfast and lunch orders. Sixty percent of staff was part of the original crew that opened the restaurant. Business has grown each month since the restaurant opened and is up 50 percent over the same time last year, Coker said.

NCounter also has become a gathering point for the city’s who’s who. ASU football coach Todd Graham, ASU President Michael Crow and Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell are among the regulars.

“It filled a niche. The city was yearning for a restaurant like NCounter,” said Mitchell, who is a fan of the French toast, egg dishes and oatmeal.

It’s not unusual for the mayor to have business meetings over coffee and to take his family there on the weekends.

The homegrown eatery with its made-from-scratch dishes is consistent with the city’s downtown vibe. Among downtown businesses, 70 percent are independently owned, Mitchell said.

“It fits in perfectly. Mill Avenue’s resurgence is based on individually owned businesses, and people are conscious about supporting locally owned businesses,” Mitchell said. “They have a friendly atmosphere, great food and an atmosphere that’s hip. It brings tremendous value to downtown.”

The concept for NCounter originated when the Cokers’ children wanted to open a more casual and fun quick-serve restaurant that was a departure from T.C. Eggington’s sit-down format.

They considered locations across the Valley and talked to some of downtown Tempe’s movers and shakers about coming to Mill Avenue.

“At first, they all thought we were crazy. Mill was going through a transition and on the downside,” Kathy Coker said. “But now, we’re definitely on the up trend. We saw Mill Avenue as a great place to be. Things were turning around, and we got to be part of the retransformation of Mill.”

NCounter filled a void in the Mill Avenue District for an eatery that offered quick, healthy alternatives for breakfast and lunch. The restaurant has a full-time pastry chef, and all dishes are made fresh from scratch. Being across the street from a light rail stop — significant in the Cokers’ selection of the location — adds to its visibility.

Drawing patrons from among local businesses and nearby residents has created a customer base that keeps the restaurant busy even when school isn’t in session. It has appealed to the downtown community with online ordering to help get business people in and out quickly.

The Cokers also made a point to get involved with community organizations and charities, which helped boost the restaurant’s reputation as a hub for the non-college scene, Kathy Coker said.

“Experience guided us to be where we are at. But sometimes I think it’s about being in the right place at the right time and that plays into it as well,” she said. “We love being down there. It’s like being at home for us.”

And what about the quirky 3:05 p.m. closing time? While on vacation, the Cokers stumbled onto a restaurant that closed at 9:05 p.m. It reminded them of a running family joke that revolves around Kathy Coker’s timeliness, and they thought customers who share it would appreciate the grace period.

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